Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Surprise! You're [going to be] on Camera!

Last Wednesday Greg came home from work and announced that a TV crew might be coming to our house the next day to film a Mormon family in Poland. "Oh! Good thing our house is always TV ready!!" I thought. No I didn't. I didn't think at all, really. What I did was finish the English lesson I was teaching and got straight to putting away some piles of things and hiding others. Greg suddenly came up with about 5 DIY projects that would have to be done.

We did it all and managed to not feel stressed at all. I spent the next morning cleaning and baking and practicing answering what questions I thought they might ask me about my faith and the GOP race in my head, in Polish (I'm quite fluent in my head!).

In the end, they came, they interviewed Greg (alone) for about 45 minutes, they recorded our family scripture study, they ate cookies and they left, 75 minutes total.

It aired and we are satisfied. It will not have people coming to the chapel in droves, but it also shouldn't scare too many people away. And, as we expected, clips with Greg and our family are numbered in the seconds. I typed up the translation underneath, so maybe read first then watch?

And one more interesting fact: We told the camera crew that Greg had narrated the documentary of the Sesquicentennial Celebration filmed by the same channel in SLC 15 years ago. Apparently they remembered because the old clips shown are from that documentary, including a shot of Greg sitting in Sacrament meeting (15 years ago!!), which you can see at :34.

Here's the clip: (And this is all very natural. We always sit smooshed together on one side of the room. And of course I never sit down for evening scripture study without making sure my lips are sparkly .We're in the second half.)

So this all came up rather suddenly but it ended up being a pretty neat family experience.

Translation: Theoretically the race isn't decided, but there is one favorite. Mitt Romney will most likely be fighting Barack Obama for the White House this fall. If he wins the Republican nomination, he will be the first Mormon with a chance at the White House, but his religion will be an obstacle rather than an advantage. Mitt Romney: Republican, conservative and...Mormon. "Romney's Mormonism isn't harmful to anyone but himself, because people first say that he's a Mormon and th." But what's the problem? For many Americans Mormonism is a religion shrouded in secrecy. (American in Poland says:) "Most Americans don't know what Mormonism is exactly. Many think it's some kind of a cult, not a religion." Romney has answered the question "Are you a Christian?" many times. "I believe Jesus Christ is the son of God and the Savior of mankind." There are still many myths surrounding our religion, admits Darek Dresler, a Mormon from Warsaw. "People's opinions are based on westerns." For example, the issue of polygamy. The church's founder had over thirty wives, but that's in the past. "Any members who try to practice polygamy are ex-communicated." (Greg reading from BOM) " For they were desirous to take them that they might punish them..." There are over 13 million Mormons worldwide-- in Poland, about 1200. Greg Pawlik is one of them, and was asked what differentiates Mormons from Catholics and Protestants: "The first thing that differentiates us is the fact that we don't drink alcohol, and we don't smoke cigarettes... Besides the Bible we also read the Book of Mormon, which is why people often call us Mormons. We call ourselves members of the Church of Jesus Christ." In Poland Mormonism doesn't spark controversy, but in the United States it's a different story because the candidacy to the White House there are concerns. "That he might be more concerned about the good of the Mormon church than the United States." Big challenges ahead for Romney. He will have to answer questions not only about his platform, but also about his religion.

Awesome! I always put on lipstick/gloss when I do my scripture study. I thought everyone did ;) So glad for the translation too. I do NOT have a political Polish vocabulary. But, pretty great all the same.

I think that's the first time I've seen you "live." I see your pictures but they seriously don't do your loveliness justice. And your little family looks so beautiful. Congratulations! (And THANK YOU for the translation!)

That's Awesome! And yes, you do look beautiful. I hope you don't mind, but I just shared the YouTube link (not your blog link) with the missionaries who served under President Lewis. They are planning a Reunion, and since I had all the email addresses there, I thought I'd share. I remember when Greg was on TV back in 2003 because the Branch President of Katowice was on a talk show. We missionaries got to see it (I was serving in Kato at the time) and man was I thankful that Greg was there. I don't remember much, but I remember feeling that he saved the day. He's an amazing orator and I always wished all our investigators could hear him speak. He just always made so much sense! (And he spoke Polish, which was more than I could do). I also wanted everyone to see your beautiful family as an awesome example of what a marriage and family could be, and now they can! Yay! Thanks for being a great example. I only wish we could have heard what you had to say to them. I'm sure it would have been awesome.

Laura- You know, I think we have that recorded on tape somewhere, but I think we had to switch tapes half way through and missed a chunk. :) The main part I remember was when the audience was up in arms about the fact that we do baptisms for the dead, everyone declaring that it was wrong and threatening us if they tried it on them or their family members. Greg came back with something about how it would be a very unfair god (not God) indeed, who forced his children to adhere to the ordinances performed by a different religion than their own, especially if it was a false one. I think everybody realized, "Oh yeah. Duh." :)

I wish I could drop in at the reunion! Are you going? If you do, tell people hello from me/us!! Especially the Lewises. Love those guys!

I'm glad you posted the video - it was fun to watch (and I'm also very glad you posted the translation, since my Polish vocab is zero words). Crazy how long filming takes, for such a small time, but now you're famous(ish)! I'm impressed not just with the pink lips, but also with your kids. Did you velcro Spencer to your lap? Have a secret cookie hidden from the camera? Either way, I'm impressed. Also, Avram wondered if you normally read in Polish, and if you were reading in Polish in the video. I'm glad they included the clip about Mitt Romney saying he believed in Jesus Christ - it's tired when people think we aren't Christians, maybe this will help a little. (Now just to air that clip in America :))

Yeah, just recently people have been up in arms about that again (hence the church reminding members of their policy about temple work), but I think that in general, the public has a skewed understanding. It's as if they think we're re-writing history and changing their religion posthumously. That's not the case, and would be ridiculous if it were. We're simply providing a necessary ordinance, done through the proper authority, and if you don't believe, it's really no skin off your nose.Okay, I'm done. I'm actually not going to make it for the reunion. We have other plans for spring break this year.

Who doesn't SMOOSH together for scripture study, with kids all very focused on what is being read? hah! I like your sparkly lips, and that it was a great program. Though next time I might not stay up to watch it when I can watch it the next day without sleep deprivation. And I wondered where they got that old footage, I recognized Greg right away, but wondered if had given it to them... So cool!Liz J

Sparkly lips are SO IMPORTANT for tv. I mean, if you can't have sparkly lips for a squishily posed scripture reading session in a Polish newsclip about Mitt Romney, then you don't even deserve to be in front of the camera.

Loved it, Lisa. Your kids were above reproach, your sparkly lips spoke volumes, and Greg looked well spoken. (He was probably well spoken in addition to looking it. But I can't speak Polish, so I'm going with how he looked.)

I love the following people

That's the link to it, up there. When you get there it may look like my profile page, but that's only because it is. I mean, my list is under Blogs I Follow. It has family and friends, as well as friends I've never met. Both Blogger and Wordpress.